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This chapter describes the features of the DES-1010G and some background
information about Gigabit Ethernet/Fast Ethernet switching technology.
Gigabit Ethernet Technology
Gigabit Ethernet is an extension of IEEE 802.3 Ethernet, utilizing the same
packet structure, format, and support for CSMA/CD protocol, full duplex,
flow control, and management objects, but with a tenfold increase in
theoretical throughput over 100Mbps Fast Ethernet and a one hundred-fold
increase over 10Mbps Ethernet. Since it is compatible with all 10Mbps and
100Mbps Ethernet environments, Gigabit Ethernet provides a straightforward
upgrade without wasting a company’s existing investment in hardware,
software, and trained personnel.
The increased speed and extra bandwidth offered by Gigabit Ethernet is
essential to coping with the network bottlenecks that frequently develop as
computers and their buses get faster and more users use applications that
generate more traffic. Upgrading key components, such as your backbone
and servers to Gigabit Ethernet can greatly improve network response times
as well as significantly speed up the traffic between your subnetworks.
Gigabit Ethernet enables fast optical fiber connections to support video
conferencing, complex imaging, and similar data-intensive applications.
Likewise, since data transfers occur 10 times faster than Fast Ethernet,
servers outfitted with Gigabit Ethernet NIC’s are able to perform 10 times the
number of operations in the same amount of time.
In addition, the increased bandwidth delivered by Gigabit Ethernet is the
most cost-effective method to take advantage of today and tomorrow’s
rapidly improving switching and routing internetworking technologies.
Fast Ethernet Technology
Ethernet, along with its speedier counterpart Fast Ethernet, is the most
popular networking standard in use today. 100BaseT Fast Ethernet is an
